Thanksgiving Traditions

With holidays come traditions. Thanksgiving itself is a tradition that has been passed on from generation to generation since its first celebration in 1621. It was originally founded as a religious tradition; it didn’t actually become an official holiday until 1863! Now it is has since become a civil observance.

As times have changed and Thanksgiving has evolved, so have our personal family traditions. Many families this Thanksgiving will be sitting around watching a football game or a movie together. Others will be volunteering and passing out food to the needy. And many people, now, will be gearing up and getting ready for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Taco Tuesday… Okay I made up Taco Tuesday.

How about this; If you want to start a new tradition this year, try going for a walk as a family before dinner, or go around the table and share a funny story about another family member.

Since food is a key component to Thanksgiving, show the youngest relative how to bake your famous pie.

Do something that provokes togetherness. Thanksgiving is a day about being thankful for what you have. So remind yourself about the preciousness of the people you have in your life.

While many of these traditions are contemporary, there are some that are deeply rooted in history. Breaking the wishbone can be traced back all the way to the ancient Italians and Etruscans. They wished upon chicken bones as they thought they were oracles and used them to predict the future. Every week before the fourth Thursday in November, when we have Thanksgiving, the president pardons a turkey. Although there is no hard fact as to when presidents started to do this, it is believed that Abraham Lincoln unintentionally started this tradition. It is believed that he pardoned a turkey named Jack from being the main course in their Thanksgiving feast.